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A princely state (also called native state or Indian state) was a nominally sovereign[1] entity of the British Indian Empire that was not directly governed by the British, but rather by an Indian ruler under a form of indirect rule,[2] subject to a subsidiary alliance and the suzerainty or paramountcy of the British crown.
At the time of the British withdrawal, 565 princely states were officially recognized in the Indian subcontinent,
The princely states varied greatly in status, size, and wealth; the premier 21-gun salute states of Hyderabad and Jammu and Kashmir were each over 200,000 km2 (77,000 sq mi) in size. In 1941, Hyderabad had a population of over 16 million, while Jammu and Kashmir had a population of slightly over 4 million. At the other end of the scale, the non-salute principality of Lawa covered an area of 49 km2 (19 sq mi), with a population of just below 3,000. Some two hundred of the lesser states even had an area of less than 25 km2 (10 sq mi).[5][6]
History
The Princely states at the time of Indian independence were mostly formed after the disintegration of the Mughal empire. Many Princely states had a foreign origin due to the long period of external migration to India. Some of these were the rulers of Hyderabad (Turks), Bhopal (Afghans), Rampur (Pashtun) and Janjira (Abyssinian). The Hindu states which predated the Mughals were ruled by Kshatriyas and included the Rajputs and the South Indian kingdoms. The exception being the Raja of Pudukkottai, who was supposedly of a lower origin.[7]
British relationship with the princely states
(4.) The expression "British India" shall mean all territories and places within Her Majesty's dominions which are for the time being governed by Her Majesty through the Governor-General of India or through any governor or other officer subordinate to the Governor-General of India.
(5.) The expression "India" shall mean British India together with any territories of any native prince or chief under the suzerainty of Her Majesty exercised through the Governor-General of India, or through any governor or other officer subordinate to the Governor-General of India.[8]
In general the term "
The
Princely status and titles
The Indian rulers bore various titles – including
and many others. Whatever the literal meaning and traditional prestige of the ruler's actual title, the British government translated them all as "prince", to avoid the implication that the native rulers could be "kings" with status equal to that of the British monarch.More prestigious Hindu rulers (mostly existing before the Mughal Empire, or having split from such old states) often used the title "
The most prestigious Hindu rulers usually had the prefix "maha" ("great", compare for example Grand Duke) in their titles, as in Maharaja, Maharana, Maharao, etc. This was used in many princely states including
There were also compound titles, such as (Maha)rajadhiraj, Raj-i-rajgan, often relics from an elaborate system of hierarchical titles under the Mughal emperors. For example, the addition of the adjective Bahadur raised the status of the titleholder one level.
Furthermore, most dynasties used a variety of additional titles such as
The
Precedence and prestige
However, the actual importance of a princely state cannot be read from the title of its ruler, which was usually granted (or at least recognized) as a favor, often in recognition for loyalty and services rendered to the British Raj. Although some titles were raised once or even repeatedly, there was no automatic updating when a state gained or lost real power. In fact, princely titles were even awarded to holders of domains (mainly jagirs) and even taluqdars and zamindars, which were not states at all. Most of the zamindar who hold the princely titles were in fact erstwhile princely and royal states reduced to zamindari by the British EIC. Various sources give significantly different numbers of states and domains of the various types. Even in general, the definition of titles and domains are clearly not well-established.
In addition to their titles all princely rulers were eligible to be appointed to certain British orders of chivalry associated with India, the Most Exalted Order of the Star of India and the Most Eminent Order of the Indian Empire. Women could be appointed as "Knights" (instead of Dames) of these orders. Rulers entitled to 21-gun and 19-gun salutes were normally appointed to the highest rank, Knight Grand Commander of the Order of the Star of India.
Many Indian princes served in the
Apart from those members of the princely houses who entered military service and who distinguished themselves, a good number of princes received honorary ranks as officers in the British and Indian Armed Forces. Those ranks were conferred based on several factors, including their heritage, lineage, gun-salute (or lack of one) as well as personal character or martial traditions. After the First and Second World Wars, the princely rulers of several of the major states, including
- Lieutenant/Captain/Flight Lieutenant or Lieutenant-Commander/Major/Squadron Leader (for junior members of princely houses or for minor princes)
- Commander/Lieutenant-Colonel/Wing Commander or Captain/Colonel/Group Captain (granted to princes of salute states, often to those entitled to 15-guns or more)
- Commodore/Brigadier/Air Commodore (conferred upon princes of salute states entitled to gun salutes of 15-guns or more)
- Major-General/Air Vice-Marshal (conferred upon princes of salute states entitled to 15-guns or more; conferred upon rulers of the major princely states, including Baroda, Mysore)
- Lieutenant-General (conferred upon the rulers of the largest and most prominent princely houses after the First and Second World Wars for their states' contributions to the war effort.)
- General (very rarely awarded; the Maharajas of Gwalior and Jammu & Kashmir were created honorary Generals in the British Army in 1877, the Maharaja of Bikaner was made one in 1937, and the Nizam of Hyderabad in 1941)[citation needed]
It was also not unusual for members of princely houses to be appointed to various colonial offices, often far from their native state, or to enter the diplomatic corps.
Salute states
The
After
At the time of Indian independence, only five rulers – the
As paramount ruler, and successor to the Mughals, the British King-Emperor of India, for whom the style of Majesty was reserved, was entitled to an 'imperial' 101-gun salute—in the European tradition also the number of guns fired to announce the birth of an heir (male) to the throne.
Non-salute states
There was no strict correlation between the levels of the titles and the classes of gun salutes, the real measure of precedence, but merely a growing percentage of higher titles in classes with more guns. As a rule the majority of gun-salute princes had at least nine, with numbers below that usually the prerogative of Arab Sheikhs of the
There were many so-called non-salute states of lower prestige. Since the total of salute states was 117 and there were more than 500 princely states, most rulers were not entitled to any gun salute. Not all of these were minor rulers – Surguja State, for example, was both larger and more populous than Karauli State, but the Maharaja of Karauli was entitled to a 17-gun salute and the Maharaja of Surguja was not entitled to any gun salute at all.
A number of princes, in the broadest sense of the term, were not even acknowledged as such.[ of salute states, and were not even in direct relation with the paramount power.
Largest princely states by area
Name of princely state | Area in square miles | Population in 1941 | Present State | Title, ethnicity, and religion of ruler | Gun-salute for ruler | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Jammu and Kashmir | 84,471 | 4,021,616 | including Gilgit, Baltistan (Skardu), Ladakh, and Punch (mostly Muslim, with sizeable Hindu and Buddhist populations) | Jammu and Kashmir | Maharaja, Dogra, Hindu | 21 |
Hyderabad State | 82,698 | 16,338,534 | (mostly Hindu with a sizeable Muslim minority) | Telangana, Maharashtra, Karnataka | Nizam, Turkic , Sunni Muslim
|
21 |
Kalat | 73,278 | 250,211 | (chiefly Sunni Muslim) | Balochistan, Pakistan | Khan or Wali, Baloch, Sunni Muslim | 19 |
Jodhpur State
|
36,071 | 2,125,000 | (mostly Hindu with a sizeable Muslim minority) | Rajasthan | Maharaja, Rathore, Hindu | 17 |
Kingdom of Mysore | 29,458 | 7,328,896 | (Chiefly Hindu, with pockets of Muslim populations) | Karnataka | Kshattriya (Urs/Arasu in Kannada)
|
21 |
Gwalior State | 26,397 | 4,006,159 | (chiefly Hindu, with a sizeable Muslim population) | Madhya Pradesh | Hindu
|
21 |
Bikaner State | 23,317 | 936,218 | (chiefly Hindu, with a low Muslim minority) | Rajasthan | Maharaja, Rathore, Hindu | 17 |
Bahawalpur State | 17,726 | 1,341,209 | (Chiefly Muslim, with a sizeable Hindu, Sikh population) | Punjab (Pakistan) | Nawab Amir, Abbasid, Muslim | 17 |
Jaisalmer State | 16,100 | 76,255 | (Chiefly Hindu with a sizeable Muslim minority) | Rajasthan | Maharaja, Bhati, Hindu | 15 |
Jaipur State
|
15,601 | 2,631,775 | (Chiefly Hindu, with a sizeable Muslim minority) | Rajasthan | Maharaja, Kachhwaha, Hindu | 17 |
Bastar State | 13,062 | 306,501 | (Chiefly Hindu, with a low Muslim minority) | Chhattisgarh | Maharaja, Bhanj , Hindu
|
- |
Doctrine of lapse
A controversial aspect of East India Company rule was the doctrine of lapse, a policy under which lands whose feudal ruler died (or otherwise became unfit to rule) without a male biological heir (as opposed to an adopted son) would become directly controlled by the company and an adopted son would not become the ruler of the princely state. This policy went counter to Indian tradition where, unlike Europe, it was far more the accepted norm for a ruler to appoint his own heir.
The doctrine of lapse was pursued most vigorously by the Governor-General
In response to the unpopularity of the doctrine, it was discontinued with the end of Company rule and the British Parliament's assumption of direct power over India.
Imperial governance
By treaty, the British controlled the external affairs of the princely states absolutely. As the states were not British possessions, they retained control over their own internal affairs, subject to a degree of British influence which in many states was substantial.
By the beginning of the 20th century, relations between the British and the four largest states –
The
By the early 1930s, most of the princely states whose agencies were under the authority of India's provinces were organised into new Agencies, answerable directly to the governor-general, on the model of the Central India and Rajputana agencies: the
Principal princely states in 1947
The native states in 1947 included five large states that were in "direct political relations" with the Government of India. For the complete list of princely states in 1947, see Lists of princely states of India.
In direct relations with the central government
Name of princely state | Area in square miles | Population in 1941 | Approximate revenue of the state (in hundred thousand Rupees ) |
Title, ethnicity, and religion of ruler | Gun-salute for ruler | Designation of local political officer |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Baroda State | 13,866 | 3,343,477 (chiefly Hindu, with a sizeable Muslim population) | 323.26 | Maharaja, Maratha , Hindu |
21 | Resident at Baroda |
Hyderabad State | 82,698 | 16,338,534 (mostly Hindu with a sizeable Muslim minority) | 1582.43 | Nizam, Turkic , Sunni Muslim |
21 | Resident in Hyderabad |
Jammu and Kashmir | 84,471 | 4,021,616 including Gilgit, Baltistan (Skardu), Ladakh, and Punch (mostly Muslim, with sizeable Hindu and Buddhist populations) | 463.95 | Maharaja, Dogra, Hindu | 21 | Resident in Jammu & Kashmir |
Kingdom of Mysore | 29,458 | 7,328,896 (Chiefly Hindu, with sizeable Muslim populations) | 1001.38 | Wodeyar (means Owner in Kannadiga , Hindu |
21 | Resident in Mysore |
Gwalior State | 26,397 | 4,006,159 (chiefly Hindu, with a sizeable Muslim population) | 356.75 | Hindu |
21 | Resident at Gwalior
|
Total | 236,890 | 35,038,682 | 3727.77 |
Central India Agency, Gwalior Residency, Baluchistan Agency, Rajputana Agency, Eastern States Agency
Name of princely state | Area in square miles | Population in 1941 | Approximate revenue of the state (in hundred thousand Rupees ) |
Title, ethnicity, and religion of ruler | Gun-salute for ruler | Designation of local political officer |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Indore State | 9,341 | 1,513,966 (chiefly Hindu, with a sizeable Muslim population) | 304.9 | Hindu |
19 (plus 2 local) | Resident at Indore |
Bhopal |
6,924 | 785,322 (chiefly Hindu, with a sizeable Muslim population) | 119.82 | Muslim |
19 (plus 2 local) | Political Agent in Bhopal |
Rewah | 13,000 | 1,820,445 (chiefly Hindu, with a sizeable Muslim population) | 65 | Hindu |
17 | Second largest state in Baghelkhand |
85 smaller and minor states (1941) | 22,995 (1901) | 2.74 million (Chiefly Hindu, 1901) | 129 (1901) | |||
Total | 77,395 (1901) | 8.51 million (1901) | 421 (1901) |
Name of princely state | Area in square miles | Population in 1941 | Approximate revenue of the state (in hundred thousand Rupees ) |
Title, ethnicity, and religion of ruler | Gun-salute for ruler | Designation of local political officer |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Cooch Behar | 1,318 | 639,898 (chiefly Hindu and Muslim) | 91 | Maharaja, Koch (Kshattriya), Brahmo |
13 | Resident for the Eastern States |
Tripura State |
4,116 | 513,010 (chiefly Vaishnavite, with a sizeable Sanamahi minority) | 54 | Maharaja, Tripuri, Vaishnavite (Kshattriya) | 13 | Resident for the Eastern States |
Mayurbhanj State | 4,243 | 990,977 (chiefly Hindu) | 49 | Maharaja, Kshattriya, Hindu | 9 | Resident for the Eastern States |
39 smaller and minor states (1941) | 56,253 | 6,641,991 | 241.31 | |||
Total | 65,930 | 8,785,876 | 435.31 |
Gwalior Residency (two states)
Name of princely state | Area in square miles | Population in 1941 | Approximate revenue of the state (in hundred thousand Rupees ) |
Title, ethnicity, and religion of ruler | Gun-salute for ruler | Designation of local political officer |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Rampur | 893 | 464,919 (chiefly Muslim , in 1931) |
51 | Pathan , Muslim |
15 | Political Agent at Rampur |
Benares State | 875 | 391,165 (chiefly Hindu, 1931) | 19 | Maharaja, Bhumihar, Hindu | 13 (plus 2 local) | Political Agent at Benares |
Total | 1,768 | 856,084 (1941, approx.) | 70 |
Name of princely state | Area in square miles | Population in 1941 | Approximate revenue of the state (in hundred thousand Rupees ) |
Title, ethnicity, and religion of ruler | Gun-salute for ruler | Designation of local political officer |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Udaipur (Mewar) |
13,170 | 1,926,698 (chiefly Hindu and Bhil ) |
107 | Sisodia Rajput , Hindu |
19 (plus 2 personal) | Political Agent for the Mewar and Southern Rajputana States |
Jaipur |
15,610 | 3,040,876 (chiefly Hindu) | 188.6 | Kachwaha Rajput , Hindu |
17 (plus 2 personal) | Political Agent at Jaipur |
Jodhpur (Marwar) |
36,120 | 2,555,904 (chiefly Hindu) | 208.65 | Maharaja, Rathor Rajput, Hindu | 17 | Political Agent for the Western States of Rajputana |
Bikaner |
23,181 | 1,292,938 (chiefly Hindu) | 185.5 | Maharaja, Rathor Rajput, Hindu | 17 | Political agent for the Western States of Rajputana |
17 salute states, 1 chiefship, 1 zamindari | 42,374 | 3.64 million (chiefly Hindu, 1901) | 155 (1901) | |||
Total | 128,918 (1901) | 9.84 million (1901) | 320 (1901) |
Name of princely state | Area in square miles | Population in 1941 | Approximate revenue of the state (in hundred thousand Rupees ) |
Title, ethnicity, and religion of ruler | Gun-salute for ruler | Designation of local political officer |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Kalat | 73,278 | 250,211 (chiefly Sunni Muslim) | 21.3 | Khan or Wali, Baloch, Sunni Muslim | 19 | Political Agent in Kalat |
Las Bela | 7,132 | 68,972 (chiefly Sunni Muslim) | 6.1 | Jam, Baloch, Sunni Muslim | Political Agent in Kalat | |
Kharan | 14,210 | 33,763 (chiefly Sunni Muslim) | 2 | Nawab, Baloch, Sunni Muslim | Political Agent in Kalat | |
Total | 94,620 | 352,946 | 29.4 |
Other states under provincial governments
Madras (5 states)
Name of princely state | Area in square miles | Population in 1901 | Approximate revenue of the state (in hundred thousand) Rupees |
Title, ethnicity, and religion of ruler | Gun-salute for ruler | Designation of local political officer |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Travancore | 7,091 | 2,952,157 (chiefly Hindu and Christian) | 100 | Maharaja, Kshatriya-Samanthan, Hindu | 21 (including two guns personal to the then ruler) | Resident in Travancore and Cochin |
Cochin | 1,362 | 812,025 (chiefly Hindu and Christian) | 27 | Raja, Samanta-Kshatriya, Hindu | 17 | Resident in Travancore and Cochin |
Pudukkottai |
1,100 | 380,440 (chiefly Hindu) | 11 | Raja, Kallar, Hindu | 11 | Collector of Trichinopoly (ex officio Political Agent) |
2 minor states (Banganapalle and Sandur) | 416 | 43,464 | 3 | |||
Total | 9,969 | 4,188,086 | 141 |
Bombay (354 states)
Name of princely state | Area in square miles | Population in 1901 | Approximate revenue of the state (in hundred thousand Rupees ) |
Title, ethnicity, and religion of ruler | Gun-salute for ruler | Designation of local political officer |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Kolhapur | 2,855 | 910,011 (chiefly Hindus) | 48 | Maratha , Hindu |
19 | Political Agent for Kolhapur |
Cutch | 7,616 | 488,022 (chiefly Hindu) | 20 | Maharao, Jadeja Rajput, Hindu | 17 | Political Agent in Cutch |
Junagarh |
3,284 | 395,428 (chiefly Hindu) | 27 | Pathan , Muslim |
11 | Agent to the Governor in Kathiawar |
Navanagar | 3,791 | 336,779 (chiefly Hindu) | 31 | Jam Sahib, Jadeja Rajput, Hindu | 11 | Agent to the Governor in Kathiawar |
349 other states | 42,165 | 4,579,095 | 281 | |||
Total | 65,761 | 6,908,648 | 420 |
Central Provinces (15 states)
Name of princely state | Area in square miles | Population in 1901 | Approximate revenue of the state (in hundred thousand Rupees ) |
Title, ethnicity, and religion of ruler | Gun-salute for ruler | Designation of local political officer |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Kalahandi | 3,745 | 284,465 (chiefly Hindu) | 4 | Hindu |
9 | Political Agent for the Feudatories
|
Bastar |
13,062 | 306,501 (chiefly Animist) | 3 | Raja, Kshatriya, Hindu | Political Agent for the Feudatories
| |
13 other states | 12,628 | 1,339,353 (chiefly Hindu) | 16 | 11 | ||
Total | 29,435 | 1,996,383 | 21 |
Name of princely state | Area in square miles | Population in 1941 | Approximate revenue of the state (in hundred thousand Rupees ) |
Title, ethnicity, and religion of ruler | Gun-salute for ruler | Designation of local political officer |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Bahawalpur State | 16,434 | 1,341,209 (chiefly Muslim) | 335 | Nawab, Daudputra, Muslim | 17 | Political Agent for Phulkian States and Bahawalpur
|
Patiala State | 5,942 | 1,936,259 (chiefly Sikh) | 302.6 | Maharaja, Sikh | 17 (and 2 personal) | Political Agent for Phulkian States and Bahawalpur |
Nabha State | 947 | 340,044 (chiefly Sikh) | 38.7 | Maharaja, Sikh | 13 (and 2 local) | Political Agent for Phulkian States and Bahawalpur |
Jind State | 1,299 | 361,812 (chiefly Sikh) | 37.4 | Maharaja, Sikh | 13 (and 2 personal) | Political Agent for Phulkian States and Bahawalpur |
Kapurthala State | 645 | 378,380 (chiefly Sikh) | 40.5 | Maharaja, Ahuluwalia, Sikh | 13 (and 2 personal) | Commissioner of the Jullundur Division (ex officio Political Agent)
|
Faridkot State | 638 | 199,283 (chiefly Sikh) | 22.7 | Raja, Sikh | 11 | Commissioner of the Jullundur Division (ex officio Political Agent) |
Garhwal State | 4,500 | 397,369 (chiefly Hindu) | 26.9 | Maharaja, Rajput Hindu | 11 | Commissioner of Kumaun (ex officio Political Agent) |
Khayrpur State |
6,050 | 305,387 (chiefly Muslim) | 15 (plus 2 local) | Mir, Talpur Baloch, Muslim | 37.8 | Political Agent for Khairpur |
25 other states | 12,661 (in 1901) | 1,087,614 (in 1901) | 30 (in 1901) | |||
Total | 36,532 (in 1901) | 4,424,398 (in 1901) | 155 (in 1901) |
Assam (26 states)
Name of princely state | Area in square miles | Population in 1941 | Approximate revenue of the state (in hundred thousand Rupees ) |
Title, ethnicity, and religion of ruler | Gun-salute for ruler | Designation of local political officer |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Manipur | 270.3 | 512,069 (chiefly Hindu and Animist) | 19 | Raja, Kshatriya, Hindu | 11 | Political Agent in Manipur |
25 Khasi States |
3,778 | 213,586 (Khasi and Christian) | ~1 (1941, approx.) | Deputy Commissioner, Khasi and Jaintia Hills | ||
Total | 12,416 | 725,655 | 20 (1941; approx.) |
Burma
- Burma(52 states)
Name of princely state | Area in square miles | Population in 1901 | Approximate revenue of the state (in hundred thousand Rupees ) |
Title, ethnicity, and religion of ruler | Gun-salute for ruler | Designation of local political officer |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Hsipaw (Thibaw) | 5,086 | 105,000 ( Buddhist ) |
3 | Sawbwa, Shan, Buddhist | 9 | Superintendent, Northern Shan States |
Kengtung | 12,000 | 190,000 (Buddhist) | 1 | Sawbwa, Shan, Buddhist | 9 | Superintendent Southern Shan States |
Yawnghwe | 865 | 95,339 (Buddhist) | 2.13 | Sawbwa, Shan, Buddhist | 9 | Superintendent Southern Shan States |
Mongnai | 2,717 | 44,000 (Buddhist) | 0.5 | Sawbwa, Shan, Buddhist | Superintendent Southern Shan States | |
5 Karenni States | 3,130 | 45,795 (Buddhist and Animist) | 0.035 | Sawbwa, Karenni, Buddhist | Superintendent Southern Shan States | |
44 other states | 42,198 | 792,152 (Buddhist and Animist) | 8.5 | |||
Total | 67,011 | 1,177,987 | 13.5 |
State military forces
The armies of the Native States were bound by many restrictions that were imposed by subsidiary alliances. They existed mainly for ceremonial use and for internal policing, although certain units designated as Imperial Service Troops, were available for service alongside the regular Indian Army upon request by the British government.[36]
According to the
In addition, other restrictions were imposed:
The treaties with most of the larger States are clear on this point. Posts in the interior must not be fortified, factories for the production of guns and ammunition must not be constructed, nor may the subject of other States be enlisted in the local forces. ... They must allow the forces that defend them to obtain local supplies, to occupy cantonments or positions, and to arrest deserters; and in addition to these services they must recognise the Imperial control of the railways, telegraphs, and postal communications as essential not only to the common welfare but to the common defence.[38]
The Imperial Service Troops were routinely inspected by British army officers and had the same equipment as soldiers in the
Political integration of princely states
In 1920, Congress declared that attainment of swaraj for Indians was its goal. It asked "all the sovereign princes of India to establish full responsible government in their states". Mahatma Gandhi assured the princes that Congress will not intervene in internal affairs of the princely states.[40]
In his presidential address at Lahore session in 1929, Jawaharlal Nehru declared: "The Indian states cannot live apart from the rest of the (sic) India".[41]
In 1937, Gandhi played a major role in formation of federation involving a union between British India and the princely states with an Indian central government.[42]
In July 1946, Nehru pointedly observed that no princely state could prevail militarily against the army of independent India.[43]
The era of the princely states effectively ended with Indian independence in 1947; by 1950, almost all of the principalities had
India
At the time of
As you are all aware, on the lapse of Paramountcy every Indian State became a separate independent entity and our first task of consolidating about 550 States was on the basis of accession to the Indian Dominion on three subjects. Barring Hyderabad and Junagadh all the states which are contiguous to India acceded to Indian Dominion. Subsequently, Kashmir also came in... Some Rulers who were quick to read the writing on the wall, gave responsible government to their people; Cochin being the most illustrious example. In Travancore, there was a short struggle, but there, too, the Ruler soon recognised the aspiration of his people and agreed to introduce a constitution in which all powers would be transferred to the people and he would function as a constitutional Ruler.[50]
Although this process successfully integrated the vast majority of princely states into India, it was not as successful in relation to a few states, notably the former princely state of
Having secured their accession, Sardar Patel and V. P. Menon then proceeded, in a step-by-step process, to secure and extend the central government's authority over these states and to transform their administrations until, by 1956, there was little difference between the territories that had formerly been part of British India and those that had been princely states. Simultaneously, the Government of India, through a combination of diplomatic and economic pressure, acquired control over most of the remaining European colonial exclaves on the subcontinent. Fed up with the protracted and stubborn resistance of the Portuguese government; in 1961 the Indian Army invaded and annexed Portuguese India.[51] These territories, like the princely states, were also integrated into the Republic of India.
As the final step, in 1971, the 26th amendment[52] to the Constitution of India withdrew recognition of the princes as rulers, took away their remaining privileges, and abolished the remuneration granted to them by privy purses.
As per the terms of accession, the erstwhile Indian princes received privy purses (government allowances), and initially retained their statuses, privileges, and autonomy in internal matters during a transitional period which lasted until 1956. During this time, the former princely states were merged into unions, each of which was headed by a former ruling prince with the title of Rajpramukh (ruling chief), equivalent to a state governor.[53] In 1956, the position of Rajpramukh was abolished and the federations dissolved, the former principalities becoming part of Indian states. The states which acceded to Pakistan retained their status until the promulgation of a new constitution in 1956, when most became part of the province of West Pakistan; a few of the former states retained their autonomy until 1969 when they were fully integrated into Pakistan. The Indian government abolished the privy purses in 1971, followed by the government of Pakistan in 1972.[citation needed]
In July 1946, Jawaharlal Nehru pointedly observed that no princely state could prevail militarily against the army of independent India.[43] In January 1947, Nehru said that independent India would not accept the divine right of kings.[54] In May, 1947, he declared that any princely state which refused to join the Constituent Assembly would be treated as an enemy state.[55] There were officially 565 princely states when India and Pakistan became independent in 1947, but the great majority had contracted with the British viceroy to provide public services and tax collection. Only 21 had actual state governments, and only four were large (
Pakistan
During the period of the
Bahawalpur from the Punjab Agency joined Pakistan on 5 October 1947. The princely states of the North-West Frontier States Agencies. included the Dir Swat and Chitral Agency and the Deputy Commissioner of Hazara acting as the Political Agent for Amb and Phulra. These states joined Pakistan on independence from the British.[citation needed]
See also
- Flags of Indian princely states
- Political integration of India
- List of princely states of British India (by region)
- List of Indian monarchs
- Praja Mandal
- Salute state
- Indian feudalism
- Indian honorifics
- Ghatwals and Mulraiyats
- Jagirdar
- List of Maratha dynasties and states
- List of Rajput dynasties and states
- Maratha Empire
- Maratha titles
- Oudh Bequest
- Rajputana
- Zamindar
- Vorstenlanden, princely states in the Netherlands Indies
References
- ^ Ramusack 2004, pp. 85 Quote: "The British did not create the Indian princes. Before and during the European penetration of India, indigenous rulers achieved dominance through the military protection they provided to dependents and their skill in acquiring revenues to maintain their military and administrative organizations. Major Indian rulers exercised varying degrees and types of sovereign powers before they entered treaty relations with the British. What changed during the late eighteenth and early nineteenth centuries is that the British increasingly restricted the sovereignty of Indian rulers. The Company set boundaries; it extracted resources in the form of military personnel, subsidies or tribute payments, and the purchase of commercial goods at favorable prices, and limited opportunities for other alliances. From the 1810s onwards as the British expanded and consolidated their power, their centralized military despotism dramatically reduced the political options of Indian rulers." (p. 85)
- ^ Ramusack 2004, p. 87 Quote: "The British system of indirect rule over Indian states ... provided a model for the efficient use of scarce monetary and personnel resources that could be adopted to imperial acquisitions in Malaya and Africa. (p. 87)"
- ISBN 978-81-7211-005-5
- ^ Datar, Arvind P. (18 November 2013). "Who betrayed Sardar Patel?". The Hindu.
- ISBN 9781843310044.
- ^ The India Office and Burma Office List: 1945. Harrison & Sons, Ltd. 1945. pp. 33–37.
- ISBN 978-1-80526-053-0.
Princely States at the time of Indian independence owed their existence to the slow collapse of the Mughal Empire following the death of Aurangzeb in 1707. Centuries of foreign domination meant that many of the rulers who carved out their own states were outsiders. The Nizams of Hyderabad were of Turkoman stock. Bhopal was established by one of Aurangzeb's Afghan generals. Rampurs first ruler, Nawab Faizullah Khan, was a Pashtun. Tonk in present day Rajasthan was founded by Pindari freebooters. The seaboard state of Janjira was the creation of an Abysinnian pirate. Among the Hindu kingdoms, most of the rulers were Kshatriya, but there were notable exceptions, such as the robber caste rajas of the south Indian state of Puddukotai. Only the Rajput states and a scattering of South Indian kingdoms could trace their lineage to the pre-Mughal period.
- ^ Interpretation Act 1889 (52 & 53 Vict. c. 63), s. 18
- ISBN 0-7007-0425-6.
- ^ Imperial Gazetteer of India vol. II 1908, pp. 463, 470 Quote1: "Before passing on to the political history of British India, which properly begins with the Anglo-French Wars in the Carnatic, ... (p. 463)" Quote2: "The political history of the British in India begins in the eighteenth century with the French Wars in the Carnatic. (p.471)"
- ^ a b Imperial Gazetteer of India vol. IV 1907, p. 60
- ^ Great Britain. Indian Statutory Commission; Viscount John Allsebrook Simon Simon (1930). Report of the Indian Statutory Commission ... H.M. Stationery Office. Retrieved 9 June 2012.
- ^ All India reporter. D.V. Chitaley. 1938. Retrieved 9 June 2012.
- ^ "King of all rewinds". The Week.
- ^ Govindlal Dalsukhbhai Patel (1957). The land problem of reorganized Bombay state. N. M. Tripathi. Retrieved 9 June 2012.
- ^ Vapal Pangunni Menon (1956) The Story of the Integration of the Indian States, Macmillan Co., pp. 17–19
- ^ a b Imperial Gazetteer of India vol. IV 1907, p. 92
- ^ "Mysore", Indian States and Agencies, The Statesman's Year Book 1947, pg 173, Macmillan & Co.
- ^ "Jammu and Kashmir", Indian States and Agencies, The Statesman's Year Book 1947, pg 171, Macmillan & Co.
- ^ "Hyderabad", Indian States and Agencies, The Statesman's Year Book 1947, pg 170, Macmillan & Co.
- ^ a b Imperial Gazetteer of India vol. IV 1907, p. 93
- ^ "Central India Agency", Indian States and Agencies, The Statesman's Year Book 1947, pg 168, Macmillan & Co.
- ^ "Eastern States", Indian States and Agencies, The Statesman's Year Book 1947, pg 168, Macmillan & Co.
- ^ "Gwalior Residency", Indian States and Agencies, The Statesman's Year Book 1947, pg 170, Macmillan & Co.
- ^ Imperial Gazetteer of India vol. IV 1907, pp. 94–95
- ^ "Rajputana", Indian States and Agencies, The Statesman's Year Book 1947, pg 175, Macmillan & Co.
- ^ a b Imperial Gazetteer of India vol. IV 1907, p. 96
- ^ "Baluchistan States", Indian States and Agencies, The Statesman's Year Book 1947, pg 160, Macmillan & Co.
- ^ Imperial Gazetteer of India vol. IV 1907, p. 97
- ^ Imperial Gazetteer of India vol. IV 1907, p. 102
- ^ Imperial Gazetteer of India vol. IV 1907, p. 100
- ^ "Punjab States", Indian States and Agencies, The Statesman's Year Book 1947, pg 174, Macmillan & Co.
- ^ Imperial Gazetteer of India vol. IV 1907, p. 103
- ^ "Assam States", Indian States and Agencies, The Statesman's Year Book 1947, pg 160, Macmillan & Co.
- ^ Imperial Gazetteer of India vol. IV 1907, p. 101
- ISBN 0-947554-02-5
- ^ Imperial Gazetteer of India vol. IV 1907, p. 85
- ^ Imperial Gazetteer of India vol. IV 1907, pp. 85–86
- ^ a b Imperial Gazetteer of India vol. IV 1907, p. 87
- ISBN 978-0-520-30163-4. Retrieved 14 August 2023.
- ISBN 978-0-210-31180-6. Retrieved 14 August 2023.
- ISBN 978-1-351-03612-2. Retrieved 14 August 2023.
- ^ ISBN 978-0-670-09129-4.
- ^ Ravi Kumar Pillai of Kandamath in the Journal of the Royal Society for Asian Affairs, pages 316–319 https://dx.doi.org/10.1080/03068374.2016.1171621
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- ISBN 978-1-136-81893-6.
- ISBN 978-0-674-74499-8: "Equally notorious was his high-handed treatment of the state of Kalat, whose ruler was made to accede to Pakistan on threat of punitive military action."
- S2CID 144156399.: "When Mir Ahmed Yar Khan dithered over acceding the Baloch-Brauhi confederacy to Pakistan in 1947 the centre's response was to initiate processes that would coerce the state joining Pakistan. By recognising the feudatory states of Las Bela, Kharan and the district of Mekran as independent states, which promptly merged with Pakistan, the State of Kalat became land locked and reduced to a fraction of its size. Thus Ahmed Yar Khan was forced to sign the instrument of accession on 27 March 1948, which immediately led to the brother of the Khan, Prince Abdul Karim raising the banner of revolt in July 1948, starting the first of the Baloch insurgencies."
- ISBN 978-0-87003-029-1: "Pakistani leaders summarily rejected this declaration, touching off a nine-month diplomatic tug of war that came to a climax in the forcible annexation of Kalat.... it is clear that Baluch leaders, including the Khan, were bitterly opposed to what happened."
- ^ R. P. Bhargava (1992) The Chamber of Princes, p. 313
- ISBN 978-1-935501-10-7.
- ^ "The Constitution (26 Amendment) Act, 1971", indiacode.nic.in, Government of India, 1971, archived from the original on 6 December 2011, retrieved 9 November 2011
- ^ Wilhelm von Pochhammer, India's road to nationhood: a political history of the subcontinent (1982) ch 57
- George Allen & Unwin. p. 228
- ^ Tiwari, Aaditya (30 October 2017). "Sardar Patel – Man who United India". Press Information Bureau.
- ^ Wilhelm von Pochhammer, India's road to nationhood: a political history of the subcontinent (1981) ch 57
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- ISBN 978-0-313-34698-9.
Bibliography
- Bangash, Yaqoob Khan (2016). "A Princely Affair: The Accession and Integration of the Princely States of Pakistan, 1947–1955". Oxford University Press Pakistan. ISBN 9780199407361
- Bhagavan, Manu. "Princely States and the Hindu Imaginary: Exploring the Cartography of Hindu Nationalism in Colonial India" Journal of Asian Studies, (Aug 2008) 67#3 pp 881–915 in JSTOR
- Bhagavan, Manu. Sovereign Spheres: Princes, Education and Empire in Colonial India (2003)
- Copland, Ian (2002), Princes of India in the Endgame of Empire, 1917–1947, (Cambridge Studies in Indian History & Society). Cambridge and London: ISBN 978-0-521-89436-4.
- Ernst, W. and B. Pati, eds. India's Princely States: People, Princes, and Colonialism (2007)
- Harrington, Jack (2010), Sir John Malcolm and the Creation of British India, Chs. 4 & 5., New York: ISBN 978-0-230-10885-1
- Jeffrey, Robin. People, Princes and Paramount Power: Society and Politics in the Indian Princely States (1979) 396pp
- Kooiman, Dick. Communalism and Indian Princely States: Travancore, Baroda & Hyderabad in the 1930s (2002), 249pp
- Markovits, Claude (2004). "ch 21: "Princely India (1858–1950)". A history of modern India, 1480–1950. Anthem Press. pp. 386–409. ISBN 978-1-84331-152-2.
- Ramusack, Barbara (2004), The Indian Princes and their States, ISBN 978-0-521-03989-5
- Pochhammer, Wilhelm von India's Road to Nationhood: A Political History of the Subcontinent (1973) ch 57 excerpt
- Zutshi, Chitralekha (2009). "Re-visioning princely states in South Asian historiography: A review". Indian Economic & Social History Review. 46 (3): 301–313. S2CID 145521826.
Gazetteers
- Imperial Gazetteer of India vol. II (1908), The Indian Empire, Historical, Published under the authority of His Majesty's Secretary of State for India in Council, Oxford at the Clarendon Press. Pp. xxxv, 1 map, 573. online
- Imperial Gazetteer of India vol. III (1907), The Indian Empire, Economic (Chapter X: Famine, pp. 475–502, Published under the authority of His Majesty's Secretary of State for India in Council, Oxford at the Clarendon Press. Pp. xxxvi, 1 map, 520. online
- Imperial Gazetteer of India vol. IV (1907), The Indian Empire, Administrative, Published under the authority of His Majesty's Secretary of State for India in Council, Oxford at the Clarendon Press. Pp. xxx, 1 map, 552. online
External links
- Sir Roper Lethbridge (1893). The Golden Book of India: A Genealogical and Biographical Dictionary of the Ruling Princes, Chiefs, Nobles, and Other Personages, Titled or Decorated, of the Indian Empire (Full text). Macmillan And Co., New York.
- Exhaustive lists of rulers and heads of government, and some biographies.
- India, Order Book, released as part of a response from Passport Office, UK to a request made using WhatDoTheyKnow, accessed 17 October 2023.